Opposite Sides, Same Heart | Jocelyn and Klarissa

Welcome to the Running Toward Podcast! Today we sit down with Jocelyn and Klarissa — two women on opposite ends of the same foster care story, sharing it together for the first time. Jocelyn and her husband took baby Mikey home from the hospital as their very first foster placement. Clarissa was dating Jay, who got a phone call at his job one day telling him he might have a son. What followed was nine months of visits, a wedding invitation slipped into a gift bag, a first birthday party where both grandmothers ended up talking on a park bench, and a reunion day where a seven-year-old in the backseat made it simple: "I'm doing great because we're taking Mikey to his family." They still do Easter together. Hope you enjoy! Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:09 Today we hear both sides of foster care in one episode — the family who took him in, and the family who got him back 1:28 Meet Jocelyn and Clarissa — their families today 2:54 Clarissa grew up in and out of the system — mom passed at 8, grandparents stepped in 4:18 Jocelyn's seed: her cousin was adopted into the family when she was in elementary school 6:06 Clarissa's lens going in — she knew what it was like to be on the bio family side 8:42 First placement: Mikey, picked up as a newborn — nine months in, the state starts saying "potential adoption" 9:07 Then comes Jay — a phone call to his job, a CPS case, and "I don't have any children" 11:36 Jay finds out Mikey is his — and something just lit up in him 13:37 Caseworkers pitting both families against each other — misinformation, attorneys that didn't exist, pressure from both sides 14:48 The wedding invitation slipped into the gift bag — "they're not going to check it" 20:23 The wedding: sitting in the back pew, holding Mikey while his parents said their vows 22:40 After the wedding — texting about snacks, soaps, sleep schedules, and baby chicken sausages 27:18 What the system actually asks of bio parents trying to get their kids back 30:12 Nine months of loosening her grip — "if you really love him, you'll do what I say for him" 31:18 First birthday party: both families together, grandmothers talking on a park bench like old friends 39:58 The day of reunification — Jocelyn loads the car and drives him home herself 40:51 Noah in the backseat: "I'm doing great because we're taking Mikey to his family" 43:00 The first playdate after — kisses, hugs, and "we'll see you later" 44:51 Extended family now: Easter, Christmas Eve, birthdays, and still showing up for Mikey at school 47:29 What they'd want every foster family to know — from both sides of the house — Thanks for watching! Follow South Texas Alliance for Orphans: 📲 Instagram:   / southtxalliance4orphans   📘 Facebook:   / southtexasalliancefororphans   🎙️ Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/5OW7Jlc... 🌐 Learn more about fostering & adoption: https://www.southtxalliance4orphans.org If today's story moved you — share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you've ever thought about fostering, even just once, let that thought be the start of something. 🤍 — Running Toward Podcast is brought to you by the South Texas Alliance for Orphans — real stories from real families walking the road ahead of you.